Tanner's Promise

by Kaylie Newell

  “She’s very cute. I saw her in the truck with you the other day.”

  The little girl sighed. “Yeah, we spend a lot of time waiting for Tanner.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. He’s trying to find someone to watch me. But I don’t need a babysitter,” she added quickly.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t think so. But it’s probably a good idea. You know. Just to ease his mind.”

  Maddie considered this thoughtfully. “Yeah…I don’t want him to worry or anything.”

  “Of course not.”

  “He says they have to be responsible,” she said, imitating his voice almost perfectly.

  This time Francie couldn’t help it. She laughed, which seemed to please Maddie to no end. If Tanner needed a nanny, she could always sign up for the job. Maddie was a kick.

  All of a sudden, she imagined it. It actually made perfect sense. She’d be working on the bungalow all summer, and Tanner would be spending a good part of it working on her landscape. Since the yard was one of her favorite features of the house, she’d decided to spend most of her allotted savings on it, and tackle the projects she could handle herself.

  “I’m sure he’ll find the perfect person, and you’ll have a great summer, honey.”

  “I hope so. I miss my…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Hey,” Francie said, knitting her brows together. “Can I ask you something important?”

  The little girl looked wary. Francie spent a lot of time around kids, and she knew they were more intuitive than most adults gave them credit for. Since Jennifer’s passing, Maddie had probably been asked about her mother more times than her heart could handle. From her expression, it was clear she thought she was about to be asked again, and Francie could almost see the emotional armor in her eyes.

  She nodded toward the paint. “Can you help me pick a color?”

  Maddie’s face relaxed.

  “I’m trying for something rustic,” Francie continued, “but I don’t want my bedroom to look like the inside of a tangerine.”

  The little girl stepped forward, her ponytail swinging. “I like this one.”

  “Burnished Tuscany?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s the one I was leaning toward, too. You don’t think it’s too orange?”

  Maddie grinned, obviously thrilled her opinion was being considered. “I think it’s pretty. The other one hurts my eyes.”

  “That seals it, then. Burnished Tuscany it is.”

  “Maddie?”

  They both turned to see Tanner standing there, a new rake in his hand. Francie’s stomach tightened. Like his little sister, he wore a rock star T-shirt, a preference that must run in the family. But his was a Led Zeppelin number that fit his lean frame just right. His jeans were worn and frayed, and he wore big, thick boots that were caked with dried mud—his badge of landscaping honor.

  “Hey,” Maddie said. “I saw Miss Tate—”

  “Francie.”

  “I saw Francie and she asked me to help pick a color for her bedroom.”

  Heat bloomed across Francie’s chest. For some reason, Tanner knowing the color of her bedroom seemed intimate.

  Tanner’s dark gaze shifted, settling on her in a way that suggested he might’ve noticed the intimacy, too. At least for a second.

  “Painting?” he asked.

  “Always. But I like it, so that’s okay. It’s cheap and easy, and things look so much better afterward.”

  “I like painting, too,” Maddie said, looking hopeful.

  Francie smiled at her.

  “So, we’re set for Monday?” Tanner asked. “I’ll stop by and give you the official quote?”

  “Monday. Yep.” She hadn’t forgotten. In fact, she’d been thinking about it almost hourly. “Will you be bringing Maddie? She could come inside and have some ice cream.”

  Maddie bounced on her toes.

  Frowning, Tanner looked down at his little sister. “I’m bringing her. I’m looking for a place for her to be during the day, though, so I won’t have her much longer. I think she’s sick of sitting in the truck.”

  “You know, Tanner…” Francie’s throat tightened. She was probably going to sound presumptuous. Oh, well. “She mentioned that. You’re thinking of a nanny?”

  He shot Maddie a look.

  “I hope I’m not being too forward,” she said, “but if you don’t have anyone specific in mind, I could keep her. I’ll just be working on the house, and I’d love to have her.”

  “Wow…I don’t know what to say.”

  Maddie clapped her hands together. “Say yes!”

  “Honestly, it’d work out great because you’d be close, right? And she could help me paint.”

  “I love to paint!” Maddie said.

  “You just decided this?” he asked. “Just now?”

  She shrugged. “There’s not much to decide. She needs a place to be, and I could use the company. It makes sense.”

  “Are you sure…”

  “I’m a teacher. So you know I’m responsible.” She winked at Maddie, who grinned at the inside joke.

  “Well, you’d definitely be helping me out. I’ll pay you, of course.”

  “Or just take it off my bill. Win, win.”

  His mouth relaxed into an easy smile, and there were those elusive dimples again. His jaw was peppered with dark stubble, setting off his olive skin and shaggy brown hair in the sexiest way.

  She stuck her hand out. “Deal?”

  He looked down, his gaze burning into her skin. Then took her hand in his. He was warm and strong, his fingers long and lean. As hot as he was, she was utterly unprepared for the jolt of electricity that followed. It heated her blood. Made her heart race and her knees weak. Maybe it was the fact that he held on just a few seconds longer than he’d needed to. Maybe it was the look on his face, knowing, but withdrawn at the same time. Like he was thinking something that she might eventually be privy to.

  Maddie bounced forward and slapped both hands on top of theirs. “Deal!” she said.

  Chapter Four

  Tanner had almost forgotten Maddie’s birthday. Thank God Judd had called a few days ago to make sure he was planning something. “She’s turning twelve, Brother,” he’d said, the cell reception crackly from LAX. “And we just lost Mom. You have to make it special.”

  He stood at the edge of the pasture now and leaned over the peeling white fence. One of his clients, Lou Bianchi, owned a ranch out by Miracle Lake. She had a nephew a little younger than Maddie and they’d hit it off a few weeks ago, laughing and chasing each other around one of the old barns while Lou and Tanner talked bark mulch.

  When Tanner had called asking if he could bring her out to ride horses on her birthday, Lou had been thrilled. He’d had to explain that Maddie didn’t know many kids in town yet, so it wasn’t really a party. She’d only wanted to invite two people, Colton and Francie.

  He watched the two kids riding a gentle white mare around bareback, the grass and wildflowers brushing their sneakered feet. The jagged Montana mountains rose behind them, punctuating a sky so blue that it made his heart ache.

  Lou had gone inside to finish the chocolate cake. She was a nice lady with bleached blonde hair, weathered skin, and a belt buckle as big as her head. She was happy that Colton had found a friend. He spent the summers with her in Marietta and had struggled socially in the past. Tanner was glad, too, and smiled as the kids’ innocent laughter reached him from across the pasture.

  He looked over as a red Volkswagen Beetle made its way down the long, dirt drive. Dust rose behind it like a parachute and Charlotte ran to meet it, barking her head off.

  Francie. She’d called to let him know she’d be a little late, but that she was definitely coming. And she wanted to know what Maddie’s favorite color was. She was going above and beyond, bless her. Maddie worshipped the ground she walked on and would’ve been crushed if she hadn’t made it.

  He watched her park the car and step out into
the warm, June afternoon. She wore a simple white sundress that accentuated her smooth, tan shoulders. The sun hitting her hair had the effect of giving her a halo, and his groin tightened as he took her in. Not an unfamiliar reaction. In fact, it seemed like he’d spent half his life reacting to Francie Tate in one way or another.

  She bent and scratched Charlotte behind the ears with one hand, while holding a pink, glittery gift bag in the other. Jesus, she was beautiful. He’d been infatuated with her since he’d first seen her in her volleyball uniform their freshman year. Ponytail bouncing, adoring crowd cheering her name. The team captain and pint-sized dynamo, who loved everyone and who was loved in return. Her mom had been Miss Montana and had groomed Francie to follow in her stiletto footsteps.

  He’d never had a goddamn chance.

  Seeing him, she smiled and waved. She’d never been crowned Miss Montana like her mom. But she’d been crowned homecoming queen, which was just as good in Marietta. Back then, Tanner thought he’d loved her. But damn, she’d wasted all that beauty and sweetness on scumbag Guy Davis. To Tanner, she’d sold out. Lowered herself to his level. If he was being honest with himself, some of that old resentment still churned when he looked at her.

  Watching her make her way through the grass, he knew that wasn’t quite fair. If it had been once, it wasn’t anymore. She was grown now, her rhinestone tiara long since put away in some dusty drawer.

  He recognized the way she looked at him, though. Like she was seeing him for the first time only now. He’d grown up, too. But he was still the same guy he’d always been, just without the stutter and wimpy arms. Why couldn’t she have seen him all those years ago? There was a part of him, some small part, that wanted to make her want him, if only to relieve some of that old teenage angst and frustration. To show her what she’d been missing all along.

  But the question was, if he spent any kind of meaningful time around Francie Tate, ex-homecoming queen and girlfriend to the star running back, would he be able to keep his wits about him this time? He sure as hell hadn’t when he was fifteen, when his heart lay somewhere in that gray area between pure and jaded.

  She smiled as she got closer. A butterfly flew around her head and she deflected it with one hand. Charlotte followed adoringly at her feet, falling in love with her just like everyone else.

  “I hope I’m not too late,” she said. “Looks like the kids are having fun.”

  He reached out and took the gift bag, careful not to touch her fingers in the process. Protecting himself in some small way from the power she had over him. But he could smell her perfume well enough, and it made his chest constrict.

  “Thanks for coming. I owe you one.”

  “Are you kidding?” she said, peering between the slats in the fence. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  He stood there towering over her, and looked into the pasture, too. Maddie seemed content for the first time in weeks. Her cheeks, which had been sunken and pale before, were now full of color. She’d even gotten a tan from working in his yard. He’d assigned her petunia duty, which she took very seriously. He now had petunias coming out his ears, but what the hell. If it made her happy.

  “Twelve, huh?” Francie shook her head. “One more year and you’ll have a teenager on your hands.”

  He swallowed hard, watching Colton lead Maddie around on the swaybacked mare, pulling her along every time she stopped for a mouthful of grass. “My aunt will have a teenager on her hands,” he said. “Maddie’s going to live with her and my uncle in Hawaii at the end of the summer.” He hated how the words sounded coming out of his mouth, but this was reality. The sooner he faced it, the better.

  Francie glanced over. “Oh…I didn’t realize.”

  “It’ll be better for her. She’ll be happy there.”

  She looked back at the kids in the pasture and it was quiet except for the calling of a whippoorwill in the fragrant pines behind them. “I’m no expert,” she finally said. “But she seems pretty happy here. At least, I know she will be until fall. You’re doing a great job with her, Tanner.”

  He laughed. “It’s only been a few weeks. I haven’t had time to mess it up yet.”

  “It’s a big responsibility. I heard your brothers are coming back indefinitely.”

  “They’re working on it. For a while at least, until she leaves. And then we’ll figure it out. Go out to see her as much as we can, and she can come here for the summers…”

  Francie nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “I’d keep her,” he said, “but my life right now… It wouldn’t be fair.” He didn’t know why he was trying to explain it. But he liked Francie. He’d always liked her, and whether he was comfortable with it or not, her opinion mattered to him. He didn’t want her thinking he’d just give up on his sister.

  “You don’t have anything to feel guilty about,” she said, quietly. “You love her, that’s obvious. And she loves you. I guess it just makes me sad. The circumstances.”

  He let the words settle. It was sad. But at least they were still a family unit. Screwed up and a little weird, but a family unit nonetheless.

  She looked back over, and this time he turned, too, his gaze settling on her. He remembered looking at her in class, watching how her hair moved over her collarbone when she laughed, how her ears turned rosy at the tips when she got embarrassed. There was a time when he knew her face better than his own. He would’ve done anything for Francie Tate back then. But he’d been a stupid kid. Too open and naïve. He was tougher now. And a hell of a lot smarter.

  “You’ll figure it out. You’ve always been strong, resourceful,” she said. “I remember that from high school.”

  His muscles went rigid at that. His hands, which had been clasped easily over the fence, twitched. That wasn’t true. He’d been a joke.

  “Come on, Francie,” he said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

  Pushing off the fence, she turned and gazed up at him with that signature, sweet-as-apple-pie look. She was still used to speaking and having people hang on her every word. That was so like the girl he used to know. But when it’d really mattered, she hadn’t used that quiet spunk to move out from under other people’s influence. At least she hadn’t all those years ago. If she’d changed, if she could tell everyone to go to hell now and still be comfortable in her own skin, he wouldn’t know, would he? Because he didn’t really know her anymore.

  “What?” she said. “I’m telling it like it is.”

  “Telling it like it is? Give me a break. I sat in English and let Guy throw things at my head.”

  Her face colored. He didn’t want to be talking about this shit. It was humiliating, but she’d brought it up. And now he was pissed.

  “He was an ass,” she said.

  “Yeah. I know.”

  “And you were just young. You hadn’t found yourself yet.”

  He laughed again. Now, that was genuinely funny.

  She planted her hands on her hips. “What?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “but you’re stretching it. Let’s call a spade a spade.”

  “You were sweet.”

  “I was a pussy.”

  “You weren’t!” She was getting worked up, which was something he could get used to. The tops of her breasts flushed where they swelled over the heart-shaped neckline of her sundress. She looked hot to the touch. “How can you say that? You let Guy have it that day in the gym.”

  “I let him have it? I tackled him and fucked up my own knee. Had to have surgery a year later.”

  “And you also broke his nose…”

  “By default. The bleachers actually did that.”

  She scowled, frustrated. There was a small furrow between her brows that he hadn’t noticed before. Then he realized it was because he’d never seen her frustrated before. He wondered what other emotions she was used to keeping in check. Anger? Passion? Jealousy? The list was a mile long. Suddenly he pictured peeling her layers back, until he got to what really made her
tick. What was she hiding deep down? And was it worthy of all the adoration she’d gotten her entire life? He had a feeling it was. But the truth was, he’d probably never get that far. The vulnerable Francie would be even more dangerous than the perfect one. And honestly, he didn’t have time to fall for anyone right now, much less a woman who made him want to rip his hair out and kiss her senseless at the same time.

  “Well, I guess I don’t remember it like you, then,” she said.

  “No, you wouldn’t.” His tone was cool. “Because your reality was always skewed.”

  She flinched. Maybe he’d hit a nerve. Maybe he should feel bad about that. But one of those layers was being peeled away right before his eyes, and he was too curious to feel bad about anything at the moment.

  Her lips pursed until they practically disappeared, and all of a sudden he itched to pull her close and push the flimsy straps of that dress down until it slid all the way to the ground. He guessed she wouldn’t be so mad then. Not by a long shot.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she bit out.

  “That you were sweet. Maybe a little too sweet. You always saw the best in people when sometimes there wasn’t anything good to see.”

  “I’m assuming you mean Guy?”

  “I mean a lot of people. Guy…me. Everyone was a project for you, Francie.”

  “And that’s why you think I stayed with him?” she asked. “As a project?”

  “I don’t know why you stayed with him, honestly.”

  Sensing the change in his voice, Charlotte hung her head and slunk over to sit at his feet.

  Francie frowned. “See? Now you’re upsetting your dog. And me.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at him. “Do you always say exactly what’s on your mind these days, Tanner?”

  “I never say what’s on my mind. You have a strange effect on me.”

  “Thank you?”

  He felt a slow smile tug at the corners of his mouth. And then she smiled, too. Her eyes were clear and blue in the fading light of the afternoon. Her lashes as long and dark as a doe’s. She was the girl next door, the all-American teenage dream. She’d grown up, but had she changed where it really counted? He couldn’t seem to resign himself to the fact that it shouldn’t matter, anyway. She was a friend from his past, if you could call her that. She was a client. She was his little sister’s nanny for the summer. That was it.